Conan O'Brien appeared on the Late Show. October 29 With Hurricane Sandy battering New York City, the audience for that evening's taping is sent home and Letterman hosts the show in an empty Ed Sullivan Theater with actor Denzel Washington as his guest. 2014 April 3 Letterman announces his retirement, after 22 years of hosting. Then, on April 10, a week after Letterman announces his retirement, CBS president Leslie Moonves announces that The Colbert Report host Stephen Colbert was announced as Letterman's replacement. April 22 Stephen Colbert makes his first appearance on the Late Show since being unveiled as Letterman's successor. August 18 In his first new show since the death of Robin Williams, Letterman paid tribute to the comedian, whom he had known dating back to their days at The Comedy Store in Los Angeles. "I had no idea that the man was in pain, that the man was suffering," Letterman said of Williams, who committed suicide. A montage of clips aired featuring Williams' multiple appearances on The Late Show, as well as an episode of Mork & Mindy in which Letterman was a guest star. The tribute was the week's most watched late night talk show video, receiving over 3.3 million views online. 2015 May 20 In a show that ran 17 minutes past the regular 60-minute length, Letterman hosted his 6,028th and final show as a late night host. Played more for laughs than for tears (Letterman remained dry-eyed throughout), the show featured the following: A cold open that began with Gerald Ford's famous quote at his 1974 presidential inauguration, "Our long national nightmare is over." In pre-taped appearances, surviving Presidents George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush repeated the line, as did current President Barack Obama, who added "Letterman is retiring!" Letterman sidled up to Obama afterwards and quipped, "You're just kidding, right?" Letterman's monologue was generally self-deprecating in nature, with quips about his career ("I'll be honest with you, it's beginning to look like I'm not going to get The Tonight Show!") and taped segments featuring The Simpsons and Wheel of Fortune, whose puzzle was "Good riddance to David Letterman." (Wheel of Fortune host Pat Sajak is the former host of The Pat Sajak Show, CBS's attempt at launching a late night talk show prior to Letterman's arrival.) In a brief aside at his desk, Letterman gave good wishes to his successor, Stephen